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About the Vecellio Endowment

A $1 million endowment has been provided for the Construction Engineering and Management Program in Virginia Tech’s Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by the Vecellio Family Foundation and individual family members: the late Mrs. Leo (Evelyn) Vecellio, Sr.; Leo and Kathryn Vecellio, Jr. and their sons, Christopher and Michael; and Patricia Vecellio.

Several family members have graduated from Virginia Tech, beginning with the late Leo Vecellio, Sr. He was a 1938 civil engineering graduate of Virginia Tech who became president and CEO of Vecellio & Grogan, a construction firm founded by his father, Enrico Vecellio, and Eugene Grogan. Vecellio & Grogan became one of the largest highway construction and mining companies in the East, with more than 1,200 employees with headquarters in Beckley, West Virginia and West Palm Beach, Florida

The college honored Leo Vecellio, Sr. in 1988 as the distinguished Alumnus for that year, and in 1999 he was inducted posthumously into the Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

Leo Vecellio, Jr. was a 1968 civil engineering graduate and is now head of Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. and its subsidiaries. In 2006, Leo Vecellio, Jr. was also inducted into the Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Michael A. Vecellio received his B.S. in business management from Virginia Tech in 2001. Both Michael and his brother, Christopher, are involved in the family business.

“The Vecellio family and our corporations have been involved in heavy and highway construction over 100 years,” said Leo, Jr. “Construction is an ever-evolving field that needs high quality research, education and well-trained personnel. Virginia Tech has a great program that answers many of the industry’s needs, and we hope that our endowment will boost the program to greater heights.”